Mirrorless Camera Comparison Review

Ever since they first popped up in 2008, mirrorless cameras have demanded attention, if not giddiness, from photo enthusiasts. By stuffing DSLR-size sensors into smaller bodies, they promised to usher in an era of no-compromise cameras. And while the first wave of devices were definitely works in progress, the latest batch proves that the field is finally maturing. Here's a look at the latest models.

Sony NEX-5

Sony NEX-5

You lose a lot when you ditch a camera's mirror system—and we're not just talking about ounces and inches.

To make a mirrorless camera, you basically start with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera and cut out its mirror box. This component sits behind the lens and angles a mirror to give users a view from a top-mounted eyepiece, into the guts of the camera, and out through the lens. With most DSLRs, the shutter button causes a spring-loaded mirror to snap up, allowing light to hit the sensor behind it. But because the mirror reflects actual light, it allows a DSLR to see a reflection of the real world through the lens, and not a digital simulacrum, as with point-and-shoots. Because mirrorless cameras ditch the mirror, they lose this real-world view.

Since Olympus's PEN E-P1 launched the category in late 2008, several other companies have released their designs. By now, the manufacturers have all released multiple generations of cameras, lenses and accessories. For this roundup, we chose five of the latest models, and evaluated them based on interface, design, specs, picture quality, and the lenses and accessories available.

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Price: $599 bundled with a 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens

Olympus impressed hobbyists and (even some professional photographers) with its little digital PEN E-P1 in 2008. The E-P1's retro style gave it street cred. It was cute, but still respectable; small, but powerful. It was kind of like the Mini Cooper of cameras. Successive generations have hewn closely to that mold. The decision has served the E-PL2, the latest PEN, well.

Olympus and Panasonic make the four-thirds system of cameras that use 4/3-inch sensors. They teamed up again to produce the micro four-thirds system of mirrorless cameras with the same size sensor. The cameras have been so popular that the name, like those of Kleenex, Coke and Chapstick before it, has nearly become synonymous with the entire field of mirrorless cameras.

Design and Interface: The E-PL2 has a plastic body with a sturdy feel. A slight protrusion on the right side provides a firmer grip (for right-handed shooters). Ten buttons and two dials are plenty to work with—once you get the hang of the interface, changing settings is a snap.

Sensor: 4/3-inch (17.3 mm x 13 mm) live MOS; 12.3 megapixels. The focal-length multiplier is 2, so, you double the focal length to get the equivalent to a 35 mm film camera. For example, the PEN's 17 mm pancake lens has the same field of view as a 34 mm lens would have on a full-framed film camera. The upshot is that you get less out of wide-angle shots, but more out of telephoto shots.

Image Stabilization: In-camera sensor-shift stabilization. Three settings allow for full stabilization or only vertical or horizontal stabilization. Try setting the vertical stabilization, then lower the shutter speed and pan the camera in line with a moving subject while you snap the picture to capture a sharp subject in front of a background blurred with movement.

Settings: There are "art" and "scene" settings that allow for more than two dozen effects. Try "grainy black and white" to make anything look old-timey, or "soft focus" to put a rosy glow around things that look prettier when you squint (think: the fuzzy Barbara Walters lens).

Flash: A built-in flash is included, as well as a hot shoe to attach an external flash. The hot shoe takes the PEN's exclusive FL-14 flash and other compatible Olympus and third-party flashes.

Lenses: Olympus and Panasonic make small-profile lenses for the micro four-thirds system and, with adapters, the entire range of several dozen four-thirds lenses are also available to these cameras. But wait, there's more: Other adapters allow the PEN to take Leica lenses, Sigma and other third-party lenses, too.

Unlike other brands, the four-thirds adapter is not "dumb," meaning that the lens interacts with the camera and, in most cases, the autofocus continues to work. With the E-PL2, Olympus also introduced fisheye and macro-lens add-ons, and two new "silent-focus" lenses that have internal focusing mechanisms that are quiet to avoid disrupting the audio aspect of a video shot. The kit lenses, even the new silent ones, can have aggravating autofocus glitches, such as an inability to always stay on their targets.

Accessories: Among the toys available are a line-up of external flashes, off-shoe cords for fancy flash photography, lens filters, a microphone adapter for good audio on videos, a Bluetooth-enabled device that sends photos to your phone and a fascinating pair of LEDs on flexible tentacles for lighting macro photography shots.

The Bottom Line: The E-PL2 bundled with a kit lens is more than enough camera for hobbyists. And with its huge range of lenses available to it, amateurs can build respectable lens complements if they want to tip-toe into a respectable collection.